FARMINGTON – Nineteen students ranging in age from 11 to 14 battled it out in the SAD 9 District Spelling Bee on Wednesday, Feb 11.

The students represented Mount Blue Middle, Cascade Brook, Academy Hill, Cape Cod Hill and the Weld School. They already had won individual classroom and school spelling bees.

The district bee was hosted by Cascade Brook School and “bee mistress” was Susan Pratt, assistant superintendent of schools.

The competition lasted an unprecedented 18 rounds, according to the district.

Words like “samba,” “harpy,” “bonanza,” “hydroperiod, “indecisive” and “banditry” eliminated the contestants before eighth-grader Sam Cohen was able to outlast his opponent, Matt Allen, by spelling the words “pristine” and “mosaic” correctly.

This is Cohen’s second year heading to the county bee, which will be March 3 at Academy Hill School in Wilton.

He will be joined by the other top place finishers from SAD 9 including Matt Allen, second place; Emily Leavitt, third; and Sarah Deveau, fourth.